


Crossing The Threshold

by WaNNedA



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22891399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaNNedA/pseuds/WaNNedA
Summary: In a world where Harry Potter is mid 20’s, married to Ginny Weasley, and facing a major turning point in his life. It’s a story of love, grief and the friendship in between in the journey of discovering yourself at every stage of life.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Harry Potter/Voldemort, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Crossing The Threshold

**Author's Note:**

> Long time lurker, first time poster. This is my first fic. It’s a work in progress so bear with me and enjoy.

Harry sighed, stirring the creamer in his cup of coffee as he stared at the door. Unsure of his next step. Does he knock? Disturbing the presence on the other side of the door, or, does he wait? Hoping that the old mahogany wood would creak open soon enough. A glance at his wristwatch makes the decision for him and with a quick inhalation of air and a firm nod of his head, he walks with a steady stride towards the door. Arm raised and fist clenched in a ready position to knock, Harry hesitates in disturbing his wife. 

Ginny’s mother, Molly, had died suddenly a few months back and Ginny wasn’t taking it well. At first she was inconsolable, breaking down, and crying with huge sobs that her body would shake in such a way that it scared Harry and cut into him like nothing else had. His heart aches for her and he grieved with her. And as the weeks went on he witnessed Ginny find the strength to get out of bed, and move forward. One painful step at a time after their loss. Harry tried his best to be supportive in any way that he could but he was anxious, because with Ginny finding her strength to cope with her grief, has resulted in distance between them. 

Harry hadn’t noticed it at first because it had started out small but then grew until you had to be blind not to see it. Ginny’s mood toward him soured of late and Harry was afraid of the implications of thinking too deeply about it. Instead he chose to ignore it for now, hoping it was a phase of her grief and would soon go back to some semblance of the love and connection he cherished with his wife. Harry didn’t want to doubt Ginny’s love for him. He couldn’t. 

Harry understood, in a sense that this was Ginny’s way of healing but he hated the way it made him feel and he hated himself for even feeling that way. 

Harry’s shoulders dropped a bit as he rapped on their bedroom door, feeling the worn wood when his balled fist made contact. There came no answer. Harry stood in front of the door listening for movement, resisting the urge to stick his ear against it and instead busied himself with chugging his coffee in a way his late mother would be ashamed of. As the warm beverage left a hot feeling in his chest as it burned its way down, Harry decided to take his empty cup to the kitchen sink to kill time while hoping that Ginny would take this opportunity to come out of the room. Walking back to the door to see nothing changed, Harry tentatively called,

“Gin, you ready? We’re running a bit behind..”

Another 30 seconds went by before the door flew open and Ginny breezed past him with a whip of her fiery red hair against his cheek. Harry noted that it smelled like flowers. She stopped in front of the fireplace of their shared flat and grabbed a pinch of floo powder and gave him a pointed look and said,

“Lets go and get this over with.”

And with that she tossed the floo powder in, stepped into the fireplace and snapped out,

“The Weasley’s.”

And she was gone.

Another shot of anxiety pierced thru Harry as his mind went into overdrive mode thinking of all the ways this night would end. But the only way to find out was by going and with that Harry grabbed his floo powder, and with a step and a call of the Weasley’s, he was off.

Landing in an ungraceful heap, Harry hoisted himself upright with the back of his neck tingling in embarrassment as he thought of how long he’s been flooing for and yet, he still can’t emerge from a fireplace feeling like a grown ass Wizard. Shaking off the clinging sentiments of being a 12 year old boy trying the Floo Network for the first time he steps into the warm and inviting living room of Hermione and Ron Weasley. 

Harry spies his wife Ginny being enveloped in the arms of a heavily pregnant Hermione in what attempted to be a hug but turned out more like Hermione smushing a very trapped Ginny in a pregnancy hormone chokehold of love. 

Ron swooped into action and pried his sister loose from the soon to be Mama Bear’s clutches.

‘Gin, Harry, so glad you two could make it. Everyone else is here.’ Ron said warmly, greeting Harry.

Harry smiled back, ‘Wouldn’t miss this for the world.’ As the last of his sentence passed his lips Harry could see Ginny stiffen from the corner of his eye. 

As though sensing the vibe between them, Hermione looped her arms thru Ginny’s and started leading her in the direction of the kitchen. 

“I’ve missed you Gin! Let me fill you in on my appointment with the Medi-Witch this morning. This little ones going to be coming any day now!’ Hermione exclaimed to Ginny while rubbing her belly with her free hand. 

As their conversation faded from the room and drifted through the hallway towards the kitchen, Ron turned to Harry. 

“How’s it going with her’ Ron asked and gestured with his chin in the direction of where Ginny and Hermione went. ‘ I know the last time we talked, things weren’t going so well. And I wanted to ask and check up on you before we’re with everyone else and I won’t get the chance to, so I’m sorry if this is a weird place to bring this up but it’s just that it’s been a ‘minute’, Harry’s eyebrows raise as he sees Ron gesture the bunny ears symbol, ‘ since I’ve seen you and I’ve been worried for both you and Ginny. Marriage is tough and I don’t have to tell you that death is tough and the combination of both can be a real fun sucker for a relationship.’ 

Harry takes a moment to process Ron’s words. And as he does this, Ron looks around in a suspicious way before declaring in a loud whisper ‘ Sorry mom for using humour about your passing to soften the blow of asking a serious question to Harry.’ Ron eyeballs the room as if expecting something to happen.

By now Harry has forgotten what he was going to say in response to Ron’s original inquiry about him and Ginny and the status of their tremulous relationship to instead question the sanity of his best friend.

“Ron, what the hell are you doing? You know your moms….’ Harry trailed off awkwardly, making a slicing gesture across his neck in the universal symbol for dead. 

Except it didn’t translate in the Wizarding world because Ron responded with a ‘ Huh? What‘chu doin Harry? You look like you’re having a stroke, should I be worried? ‘

Harry’s mouth fell open, ‘ The only one having a stroke is you! Why are you talking to your dead mother like that? I get that people do it as a way of dealing but you’re being weird about it.’ If there was an exasperated tone, Harry was on the side of not caring. 

Ron huffed and replied ‘ I’m going to ignore the weird comment because this is just plain strange, Harry, but I think mum’s a ghost.’ Ron once again eyed the room as if expecting the spectre of Molly Weasley to turn up at a moments notice, wagging her finger and chastising as she did back when she was alive. 

Harry too looked around, just in case. Then he caught himself and innerly shamed himself in a voice that suspiciously sounded like the late Weasley matriarch. 

Choosing to ignore the random turn of events that this conversation took and deciding to humour Ron, Harry asked for clarification.

“ What do you mean she’s a ghost? Like Headless Nick? Peeves? Break it down for me here Ron, because I’m not picking up what you’re putting down. ‘

Ron thinned his lips together as he fought to properly word what his theory was without sounding like the crackheads that Hermione warns him about anytime he has to do business in the downtown of Muggle London. 

“So it’s like this, he starts ‘ right after mum died strange things have been happening…. supernatural. ‘ This word he whispers dramatically. 

Harry could kill Ron with the way he always takes the scenic route to get to the point. 

Harry stared at Ron, and seeing the cue Ron continued;

“There’s been voices when it’s only me in a room, the lights are flickering, and things are moving! Harry I feel like I’m going bloody bonkers here and Hermione tells me it’s the house elves but it’s not Harry! I reckon it’s mum trying to reach us from the other side. Telling me to pick up my socks or something.’ Ron joked at the end to make light at his comments and looking at Harry as if he didn’t know if he should be telling him or not. Sensing his friends hesitation and resisting the urge to laugh him off Harry responded in a supportive tone;

“or to harp at you about your table manners…..Harry paused, ‘ jokes aside, what do you mean? Have voices been talking to you?’ 

‘No’ Ron said, ‘it’s more like a muffled conversation, almost like it’s in the other room, I can never quite hear exactly what they’re talking about but it’s definitely voices. And I hear them at the oddest of hours and all over the house, not just one room.’ 

‘That is strange.’ Harry said. ‘ And the lights turning on and off and stuff moving, that’s actually happening?’ 

In a serious voice Ron replied ‘ Yes Harry. And maybe because it’s only been a few months since she passed and then this starts happening,’ Ron pauses and takes a breath, ‘ I can’t help but feel in a way that it’s mum. Just giving little signs.’

Ron’s bright blue eyes went glassy and Harry started to feel a lump form in his throat as he watched his friend fight to hold it together. Harry wasn’t surprised that Ron is grieving in his own way, everyone was. But out of all the grieving Weasley clan, Ron had grown with his grief. It was a surprise to see Ron blossom to become such a strong man in the adversary of losing a parent but he did it with a grace that Harry was proud of. And if this was Ron’s way of helping to deal then Harry would be supportive even if he didn’t have the heart to believe him. His bromance with Ron was strong.

“This world is full of magic and we’re just a couple of idiots who live in it, for all we know it could be your mum hollerin’ at us.” Harry laughed and smiled at Ron, making eye contact to make sure he knew he was empathizing with his friend. 

As Ron smiled back Harry asked, ‘ Whatever this is, it hasn’t hurt you has it? ‘ 

‘No’ Ron said.

‘Ok,’ Harry replied and asked ‘ And Hermione, has she experienced this?’ 

‘No, that’s why I think it’s mum. It’s only been happening to me. And it’s not house elves, I’ve checked. ‘ Ron said.

‘Hmmm..’ Harry responded, thinking. ‘And Hermione hasn’t jumped at the chance to research the shit out of this?’ 

“Well,’ Ron said, ‘ she’s kinda baby brained at the moment and I say that in the nicest way because she’s carrying my child but she’s been pretty forgetful, hormonal..you know, pregnant. It’s been awhile since I’ve actually seen her sit down and enjoy a good book reading that isn’t about newborns. And I’ve even tried to suggest something else but you know our Hermione, once she zeroes in it’s hard to shake her.’ 

As they were standing there Harry heard a sound, like a branch breaking. Which is what made it strange, because they were standing in Ron’s living room. Snapping his eyes to Ron to see if he had heard, Harry registered the big ‘O’ face and wide eyes Ron were making as confirmation. 

Bolstered by what Ron had just told him Harry called out, ‘Mrs. Weasley, is that you?’. 

From behind the couch walked one of the most grotesque creatures Harry had ever laid eyes on. Whatever it was, it was small but had a huge presence because of its jarring features. It had one eye, it’s missing eye was scarred with raised bumps of where stitches supposedly used to be. The one it had was bulbous and grey, crusting at the bottom. It’s mouth was a toothless, drooling mess, gums slapping saliva in a spray in front of it in a spattering mock of a shield. It started to careen towards them, bumping into a side table as it made its way. 

Harry let out an undignified ‘EEEP’ as it moved toward him and Ron, in a panic he clawed at his trouser pocket to get to his wand, cursing his shaking and sweaty hands. Just when Harry pried his wand free he saw Ron step toward the horrid little creature and coo, ‘ Here Helen, this way.’ As he grabbed the knobby hand and guided it toward Harry. 

Harry stepped back and held his arms out in a defensive display.

‘Nuh uh, what is this!?!’ Harry exclaimed, squirming in disgust as Ron lead it closer. 

Bringing it to a stop in front of Harry, Ron proclaimed, ‘This is Helen. We’re fostering her. It’s a program that Hermione signed us up for thru the Ministry. We foster older house elves that are in their later years, offering them comfort. Hermione says we’re helping them enjoy their golden years. I say it’s a bloody nightmare.’

Harry stared down at the older house elf with a look of instant regret. ‘Oh! I am so sorry Helen!”

Ron laughed at Harry, ‘Don’t worry, she’s blind, deaf and mute but don’t let that throw ya off, she’s got a heart of gold.” 

As the absurdity of the situation sunk in Harry couldn’t help but laugh. The kind of laugh he hadn’t had in years, where your chest rumbles and belly hurts from the joy of it. He looked over at Ron and witnessed his face twisted up as he shared in the same laughter, tears starting to stream down his face as he guffawed his happiness. And in this moment Harry felt a weight lifted and feeling lighter he could tell Ron experienced the same. 

As their laughter died down, Ron looked at him and said, ‘Back to the original question before this took a veer, you and Ginny. How are you two?’ 

Harry stared in Ron’s eyes and debated on what to say. Their relationship was in a rut right now with the circumstances of everything and even if Ginny hasn’t outright spoken it yet, she was strongly hinting at either a break or worse, a divorce. Harry wasn’t ready for it. He was afraid of losing her, and subsequently the family he had made with the rest of her family, the Weasley’s. Even though they would still stay family if they broke up, it just wouldn’t feel the same and Harry was scared of that. So right now he was pushing it down to compartmentalize for later. Like say 3 AM in a fit of anxiety. 

And seeing Ron in such a happier mood than he’s seen in a while, not wanting to be a downer Harry decides to say, ‘It’s marriage and all marriages have trials, we’ll get thru this. ‘ 

As Ron opens his mouth to reply he’s interrupted by the voice of George Weasley.

‘I’ve been sent to carral you to the kitchen, seeing as sending the house elf didn’t work.’ George said as he eyed the miniature horror drooling on the living room carpet holding Ron’s hand in a mockery of a toddler holding its parents. 

Seeing the opportunity it was Harry declared, ‘Well, can’t keep everyone waiting.’ And made his way to the kitchen.

Watching him leave down the hallway Ron looked at George and glanced down at the poor, elderly house elf and looked back up at George in a pointed look.

‘Nuh uh, brother dearest. That’s on Hermione, which means you. You’re on your own with sweet little Helen.” And with that, George turned tail and ran.

Ron huffed as he and Helen slowly followed after George and Harry to the kitchen to meet everyone else.


End file.
